Form Factor Type AT or ATX?

BillyBob - well put re: truck analogy.

KenKieth - to add a couple of points here.

There are all kinds, shapes and sizes of ATX MB's. Ditto on AT MB's. Keyboard ports differ, PS connectors differ and yes, the on/off button circuitry is different. Beyond that there are umpteen squared variations of port configurations and connectors - thats why BillyBob found all those different back plates that came with his ATX case. He could have even punched out a few pre-stamped ports on the back of the actual case if he was so inclined.

Further to your Power Supply comments - For all practical purposes, 300 Watt should be considered adequate to minimal for P-4's, Thunderbirds, Palaminos, MP's and XP's. Argue if you must, but fans do not create a big drag on your Power supply. And, no, inadequate power doesn't just shut down a system - it can cause system instability, lockups, crashes, system errors, blanked screens, blue screens of death, a green line across your monitor, hard drive failure and a host of other machine maladies (check my spelling on that). Power failures shut down machines, inadequate power wreaks total havoc.

I'm not trying to degrade or belittle one who may be running a fine system with 120 - 200 or 250 Watt PS. They work just fine for the older systems and processors they are running. I'll leave it at that.

 

psu

& random restarts. Gotta hang with ol' kenkeith tho, lookin' back thru this thread, he got the common sense albeit "not absolut tech" solutions

 

Rancher

I certainly hope that does not mean that the rest of us do not have ( or use ) Common Sense.

Everything that I wrote is from Hands on, eyeball to case, eyeball to various Motherboards, and experience with installing same.

From overloading an inadequate PSU.

And from other Human errors. Some of which I do certainly hope I do not make again.

Rockster2U

You are correct. I do have punchouts available. Two 9 pin and one that looks like it might be for a SCSI port. It is too slim for a 25 pin parallel connector.

BillyBob

 

at atx form factor

BillyBob , not at all, you should know better then that
'Common aproach' prolly beta word, eh?

 

Sticks and stones.....

I never got a clear answer (for me) on the question. Glad I'm just going to get a new case and PS. Now, about these aluminum cases......?

 

Rancher,
Yes, there is a slight touch of Socratic irony in all of this.

 

Rocster2U,

I believe ATX and AT configurations are a standard, and any irregularities are features that modify (not uncommon) and individualize system components to a specific size and shape for a number of different reasons. If I were in the business, I would distinquish my product and hope for some consumer dependency. As an example, I recently read a major auto manufacturer has secretly coded there electronic system thereby making it difficult for independent businesses to troubleshoot any malfunctions.

The word shutdown is a description broad enough to include all of your specific examples of a malfunction that may or may not have PS implications. Included would be a shutdown and restart. The expression "shutdown" is a term I and many others used years ago for all malfuntions that disabled access to the operating system.

Power failures are a temporary or a permanent disruption of a power source. The larger systems that I tested years ago in a manufacturing environment had a power safe routine that provided protection for that circumstance and there was no shutdown.

Until now, I have never heard the term "maladies" applied to equipment. You must be a doctor or you consider your PC to have human like qualities?

 

The common sense approach

See what i mean, common approach=common sense here. AT & ATX formfactor in it's basic form.
csnudelman, sorry the water got to muddy

 

Just to confuse the issue further...

First we need to break this down a bit more.

A standard ATX Pws has a single Dual row pwr connector which attaches to the MBD. - ATX {By definition} supports soft off and the other motherboard controlled pwr functions. - The Newer pIV supported pws have additional mbd pwr connectors. Both types of pws can be activated by momentary shorting the "pwr on" header pins on MBD.

An AT pws has a physical switch to apply AC pwr to pws*. In standard config (some OLD OEM's violated this) the connector on the mbd was a single row of pins exposed on one side. Most AT pws used 2 connectors to attach to this single row on MBD. This was bad because it was possible to connect the pws incorrectly and deepfry the MBD. As stated in an earlier post, each of these coonectors had a black wire, when properly connected, an AT pwr connector will have the Black wires side by side in the center of the connector. A MBD using an AT pwr supply CANNOT turn off the pwr supply, even if it is a dual mode board which has both type connectors. - It can "sleep" the system, but the pws fan will always be on. (there was an exception, some 286 & 386 Compaq DeskPros had a thermostat controlling the fan, unnerving when system boots and no fan for 2 mins...)

AT form factor - Usually the ONLY connector surface mounted on the MBD is the KYB connector. - All others use ribbon cables.

ATX form factor - Will have KYB, Mouse, USB (optional) Parallel and serial ports surface mounted to mbd.

- Dual function MBDs - Can be either Form, depending on mfg - Although there would be minimum value in having an ATX form factor MBD with an AT pwr connector. - Remember - on a dual capable board the pws determines how it will behave.

*(This was handy because you could wire additional 110vac case fans directly to switch without putting any load on system pws.)

 

Great research Profgab 101. I can appreciate the detailed technology and from that some clarification.

Apparently the PS is indicative of and not incidental to form factor. If true (can't disagree), then Rancher's answer to know the PW type will answer the question regarding the form factor to a specific PC with some assurance that the answer is consistently reliable. But it appears with the modifications and OEM exceptions to the standard, it many now have rendered the classification somewhat ambiquous and insignificant when referring to a manufactured product.

 

Perhaps I shouldn't build my own...Dude, I'm getting a Dell

 

atx & at formfactor

10-4 KenKeith and THAT should be the last word thx to Profgab101 but i doubt it will